


Oh, How Wicked

by FrozenHearts



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Ada isn't in this, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Canon: Resident Evil 2 Remake (Video Game 2019), Fear, Friendship, Game: Resident Evil 2, Gen, Hostage Situations, Kidnapping, M/M, Pre-Slash, Rescue, Taxidermy, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-10-23 18:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17688335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHearts/pseuds/FrozenHearts
Summary: Claire and Chris reunite and must find Leon before the precinct is overrun with hordes of the undead.





	1. Chapter 1

Get out get out get out getoutgetoutgetout-

Those were Claire's only thoughts as she ran through the drafty halls of the Raccoon City Police Department. Those were her only thoughts as she re-loaded her gun again and again and again, dodging zombies with rotting arms and skinned-alive men with exposed brains and long, grotesque tongues. As she fiddled with heart shaped keys and round handles and C4 detonators to avoid the large grabby hands of Mr X. T-00. whatever it was called, she shot off it's hat and then it got pissed so Claire high-tailed it outta there and kept going.

"Leon, you better be okay..." Claire muttered through gritted teeth as she shot a zombie for the umpteenth time. This one had jumped from behind the desk in the main hall, its police unifrom bloodied and tattered. Puss and blood oozed from the sores on its body, staining a large area of the blue shirt. Its badge hung shiny on its hip, catching the light ever so slightly as it moved. Ignoring the ache in her wrist, she shot another bullet and it was down.

Claire knew these were Leon's coworkers. These were once good people who had families and went to parties or watched movies with friends on Friday nights. Now, though... they were reduced to this; mindless, numb beings who didn't know who they were. It was a little more than disheartening, but Claire squashed those feelings down, turning on her heel towards the library door.

"Thank god for labels," Claire said to herself as she reached into her pouch- this door had an ace key. A blue ace key when she'd been running around with a red heart key. Digging out the key, she shoved it into the door, the lock opening with a satisfying ding. Pumping her fist, she shoved the door open and slid inside, closing it as quietly as she could behind her- it wouldn't do to draw more attention to the zombies littering the halls.

Or, she remembered with a gulp, Mr. X.

Rolling her shoulders, Claire made her way through the new room- lockers lined the halls and she could see baskets half full or turned over completely. Clothes were strewn on the floor and hanging off chairs and benches; the locker room, and with a glimpse at the sign, the men's locker room at that. Water leaked from the shower heads, creating puddles on the tiles as she walked deeper inside. Steam billowed from what she found to be a broken pipe, the handle ripped clean off.

 "Alright, let's see if I can find anything here..." she muttered under her breath, flexing her fingers in front of the lockers. The metal looked slick with steam and stained red with whose blood she didn't want to know. Grimacing, she grabbed it and threw it open, jumping back, pistol at the ready-

-only to falter at the sight of her brother tumbling out, landing on the floor with an earsplitting thud.

"Chris?!" Claire exclaimed, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth.

"Claire?" came the confused reply, then "Claire! Oh my god, you- you're alive!"

 Claire felt her heart pounding as she watched Chris hunker to his full height, shoulders hunched as he wiped what she could only figure was blood and guts off his clothes; the smell was heavy in the air, making her wrinkle her nose and suddenly she found herself swept up into one of Chris' signature bear hugs and she couldn't find it in her to complain. He was alive. He was alive and he was here and they could go home-

"Leon..." Claire murmured as she pushed her brother away.

Chris cocked his head, "Leon? Who's that?"

Claire went for the pouches hanging on her hip, giving Chris the letter Leon had given her as a warning- "Be careful in the main hall. Mr. X is fast with the extra space."

"He's my friend," Claire explained as she watched Chris read the note, his brow furrowing in confusion, almost worry, she thought. "It's his first day as a police officer and he said he would help me find you."

The letter looked small in Chris's thick fingers, the paper slightly crumpled in his grip. "I saw the welcome party they were gonna throw for him, poor guy. Where did you see him last?"

"Outside," Claire said, "in the courtyard, but he was on the inside of the gate. There... there was a helicopter crash and fire and then Mr. X showed up and-"

She didn't realize she was hyperventilating until Chris put a hand around her ponytail and pulled, "Focus, Claire! Deep breaths.... that's it. Good." The steam obscured her vision, making her unable to see the toes of her boots. Claire sighed- she wasn't sure where Leon ran off to after Mr. X appeared, having watched him dart up the stairs and into the flames to avoid being grabbed. She paused, peering over Chris' shoulder at the locker he fell out of.

"Hey, Chris?" Claire asked.

"Yeah?"

"How... how exactly did you fit in the locker?"

\-----

Leon wasn't entirely sure he wasn't dreaming.

Marvin had been so nice to him, protecting him as he ran to find the medallions for the stupid secret passageway. Giving him the keys and the knife to fend for himself even as he lay dying on a couch in the main hall. It only took five seconds to shoot the man but it took a little over five hours of running through zombies and unlocking doors and climbing through vents for it to really sink in.

Marvin being dead really hit him when he was combining a large box of gunpowder with blue and red flowers to create more ammo and nutrition as he bunked in what was once the receptionist's office of the precinct. The stench of rotted flesh and blood made him lightheaded as he sat against the wall, tucked just under the receptionist desk. To his left was a large green safe, the metal cool against his arm.

Swallowing roughly, Leon allowed himself to peek out from behind the leg of the desk- the coast was clear. The door was still shut and if he squinted, he could just make out the lock, bent slightly to ensure it stay shut. Once he was sure the door wouldn't open anytime soon, he slipped off his hip pouch and opened the pockets.

Ammo, check.

Guns? Triple-check.

First aid was accounted for, although his aerosol spray was running low and there weren't as many herbs on the first floor as there were in the courtyard. Bandages could only do so much as well.

As Leon was sorting through his belongings, however, he didn't notice the jiggle of the lock. The squeal of metal on the door was lost as Leon ran through his inventory over and over, how he could reunite with Claire and it wasn't  until the door was blasted off it's hinges and the footsteps pounding in his skull did Leon realize he was not alone. Feeling his breath hitch, he slid himself under the desk, carefully wedging himself as far as the space allowed until he was certain he was safe. Two pairs of footsteps were muffled through the wood, the shoes barely visible from where Leon sat.

"-ure you get every survivor but I want the blond ones, got it?" a voice said in the eerie silence of the office, echoed by the second person's thunderous footsteps. Leon's breath was shaky as he realized he knew that voice, he knew who was talking and leading gods knows what around the precinct, oh shit; he had to leave, he had to get up and slip out right now-

"Mr. Kennedy!" Chief Brian Irons was cheerful as he ordered his friend to pull Leon out from under the desk, "How nice of you to be in attendance! wouldn't do to be late on your first day, would it?"

Leon paled, tugging at the other person's grip but it was no use- his fingers were thick, wrapping almost completely around his arm and Leon thought he could hear bones grinding but all he could think about was the thing holding on to him, manhandling him until he was hanging over a broad shoulder with blood rushing to his head.

Leon could only pray that Claire was alright as his vision blurred, the Chief's voice lulling him into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't expecting so much feedback from the first chapter alone! Here's chapter 2! Not my best, but I wanted to get something out for you guys.

How Chris came to be in the locker was a conversation that left much to be desired. Or forgotten. Chris cringed at the memory, the feeling of sharp-edged metal digging into his shoulders as he squeezed himself inside, barely slamming the door shut as an ambling zombie snapped at him. He wasn't entirely sure about the rest of the team, but he could hear the screaming, and the blood from the slats on the door didn't help the ideas rolling around in his head.

For all Chris knew, his team could be dead. He could be the last surviving member of S.T.A.R.S and it wouldn't even matter because the world was going to shit.

"Chris?" Claire's voice broke through his thoughts, "Are you gonna tell me or are we gonna wait until Mr. X comes back? Because let me tell you, he packs a mean punch and I don't want to be on the receiving end of it. Again."

"I...I don't really remember?" Chris offered sheepishly, "I just remember a zombie broke in and.... I guess I just forced my way inside. There was a lot of screaming going on, as well a lot of blood, I don't think we have time to discuss it."

Claire sighed, peering over his shoulder, "That would explain the cuts on your shoulders then. Alright, let's go. We have to find Leon before Mr. X does."

There it was again. Leon. Claire had mentioned him at least three times now, and he still didn't know who the guy was. Aside from being a rookie cop and Claire's friend, the guy was as mysterious as Mr. X- and from the sound of Mr. X, Chris figured he wasn't fun at parties. Grabbing his gear from the locker, Chris helped Claire strap some weapons to her person, admiring how far she'd made it with that dinky little gun of hers. It was an older model, out of commission in the precinct so it was a wonder the thing still worked at all.

"Where did you see Leon last?" Chris asked, "After the courtyard, where do you think he would go?"

Claire shrugged, "The main hall, maybe? It's a big enough space to avoid Mr. X and get away from the zombies."

Chris nodded, "Alright. We'll try there first. Let's go."

\-------

When Leon woke, he felt a pull in his shoulder.

The pain was dull, a sharp tug that bothered him if he moved ever so slightly, and the hunched manner in which he sat didn't help matters either. Groaning, Leon moved to sit up, only to find his head banging the ceiling of... something. Biting his lip, he tried again. He still met resistance, now able to feel something cool and metallic against his back. Blinking back the beginnings of tears, he let his gaze dart around.

He could see the dull gray of the parking garage floor, and from the corner of his eye was the flashing lights of a police siren. Red and blue invaded his peripheral, making him dizzy. Leon squeezed his eyes shut, but he could still see the colors behind his eyelids, bright and glaring.

"Awake, are we?"

Leon jerked himself upright, letting out a pained noise as he hit the ceiling of whatever he was in. Rubbing the back of his head, Leon found himself staring at a set of bars- too dark and thin to be a prison cell, though. A pair of brown loafers were in his eye-line, tapping the floor impatiently. Leon felt his breath hitch in his throat; the voice sounded oddly familiar-

"Chief Irons?" Leon dared to ask, looking up at the man as best he could. He could barely make out the buckle on the man's belt- a round gold piece with thick braiding detail on the edges. "What happened? Let me out!"

Chief Irons knelt down, and Leon recoiled at the slimy grin on the man's face. His mustache was flecked with red, eyes narrowed as if he were appraising a pork tenderloin and not keeping the new recruit hostage. The man's eyes burned into Leon, making his skin crawl as he scratched his chin. The man was bathed in the red and blue lights, casting eerie shadows off the concrete.

"Gotta say, I wasn't expecting anyone to show up for work today," Chief Irons drawled, "I have to thank you, though."

Leon managed to bang a hand against the bars, "Let me out! That.... that thing is following me around, we need to leave-"

"You mean the Tyrant?" Chief Irons shrugged, "I don't have anything to worry about from him. He did exactly what I told him to do."

Leon raised an eyebrow, "What? I don't understand, what-why-"

A laugh from the other man made Leon shudder. It was cold, a harsh sound echoing in the parking lot. It didn't make sense though; what was the Tyrant? What did it want?

More importantly, Leon realized, as he watched the chief of police laugh to himself, what did this man want? His former boss?

"I can see the gears turning in that pretty little head of yours, rookie," Chief Irons said, "You don't need to worry about anything anymore, just trust me. You'll be safe here until I figure out what to do with you"

Before Leon could say anything, the chief was on his feet, disappearing into the parking lot and sure enough, there was Mr. X. The Tyrant. It was looming by the door, head cocked curiously as the chief barked something at it. Slowly, it reached for the door and Leon found himself in the dark, doubled over on himself and for a minute, he hoped Claire was okay.

The second the Tyrant slammed the door shut was the second Leon heard the growling.

"Fucking bastard!" Leon hissed, realizing where he was.

Chief Irons had locked him in the kennel, and left him in a cage, surrounded by mangy, feral dogs.

Leon could only hope the Chief didn't find Claire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally with Chapter 3! 
> 
> My friend has been non-stop making fun of me for not posting any photos i took at anime nyc so i really need to get on that but I'm doing this instead

Chris was slow as he made his way through the main hall. The place was in absolute disarray- tables and chairs overturned, cadavers rotting and stinking in the furthest corners accompanird by a grate with dripping white graffiti by the front door. There was a slight draft that made the cuts on Chris's shoulder tingle a bit but he ignored it. It wasn't too bad and if it got worse, he had some first-aid gear in one of his pouches. 

Claire was dirtied from her excursion through the station but as he watched her slink along the wall, careful to avoid a few wandering zombies, he couldn't see anything seriously bleeding. 

"Looks like Leon tried opening something here," Claire pointed to the statue that sat on the other end of the main hall, an image of a young woman with a scale and a blindfold cast forever in smooth white marble. Last he checked, the statue was pretty normal, but as they made their way over to it, Chris could see it was a bit taller, a bronze gate having pushed the base up to reveal three round slots.

Two of them already had a medallion sitting prettily inside them, which meant....

"A secret passage," Chris noted, reaching out to run his fingers along the cool metal of the grate, "Chief Irons had mentioned it on my first day of S.T.A.R.S. but I didn't think it was real."

It looked like Leon had been close to opening it as well, Chris realized. Looking closer he could recognize the designs engraved on each one- a harp from the lion statue sitting outside the library wing upstairs, and next to it was a fish from the woman statue in the side parlor he knew to be through the grate with the graffiti all over it. 

"Think someone told him how to do it?" Claire huffed under her breath, "Maybe one of these guys told him before they turned."

Chris hummed, pulling himself away from the puzzle, "Makes sense. A few of these things look freshly turned, most likely an hour old at the very least. Do you remember if he had a notebook or anything else?"

Claire shrugged, "He probably does- I grabbed your old one from your desk in the S.T.A.R.S. offices a while ago and Leon also has a bunch of pouches too." She dug through a pouch on her leg and produced the notebook, the brown leather cover grimy with dust and a few traces of crusted blood. He wasn't entirely sure if he could also smell something gross coming from the leather but thankfully Claire put it away before he could ask. 

"Well if he was here before, I can't see him risking hiding, the main hall is too big and there's ways too many zombies here for my liking," Chris shivered, eyeing one from over Claire's shoulder. It's skin was an ashy gray, a blue police shirt tattered and stained with gore as it banged it's head uselessly against the front desk. Another next to it was absentmindedly clawing at the floor with broken nails, green pus and blood dribbling from its fingers. 

"What should we do then?" Claire peeked at them over her shoulder, frowning as she reached for her gun. The wheel clicked softly as she checked the chamber, "I have three bullets in this thing, might have to ditch it soon."

"We should be able to get more," Chris motioned for her to follow as he slowly made his way around the statue and to the left- he could see from the corner of his eye a door left slightly ajar; if he was correct there was a red diamond engraved on it, leading through a tunnel to the morgue. His shoes slid across the linoleum and for a minute he froze, a slight squeak sounding in the heavy silence.

He waited for a few seconds, Claire bumping into him. He could hear the slight whistle as she took a breath to berate him before thinking better of it. 

Heart hammering in his ears, Chris heaved a sigh of relief when he realized none of the zombies had heard. Grabbing his sister's hand, he pulled her along the wall, gun at the ready in front of him.

"Where are we going?" Claire asked softly; he could barely hear her, but right now that was a good thing; he wasn't sure if there were other zombies through that door and if they were attracted to noise they were screwed.

"There's another way to get out," Chris explained, jaw tense, "And if Leon was trying to get the secret entrance under the statue to escape, he had to have gone through the morgue first."

He felt Claire's grip tighten, "Are you sure? What if he went another way?"

They were at the door now and sure enough, Chris was right- a ruby red diamond sat complacent in the sturdy oak paneling, outlined with a trim of gold. A matching diamond on a smaller scale sat nestled just above the keyhole.

"To get the last medallion we have to go through the morgue," Chris explained, "and if Leon is also following a book like you were, that's most likely where he'll be. You have the red diamond key?"

A slight rustling noise followed by a zipper being opened achingly slow soon had Chris shoving a slim key into the lock, the siblings wincing at the loud click it made only to nearly groan at the even louder creak as the door swung open. Ushering Claire inside, Chris quickly locked the door behind them, giving Claire back the key. "Hold onto this for now, okay? You were always better with organization as kids."

Claire scoffed, "Because I actually cleaned my room when mom told us to."

Chris rolled his eyes, "At least I actually atr my vegetables at dinner time."

"Peas are gross and you can't change my mind!"

Chris grinned. It was way to easy to rile his sister up, the smile on her face making his heart soar as they reminisced. Even in a dank, musty concrete tunnel of the precinct, seeing his sister smile made him feel like everything was going to be alright.

"Okay," Claire sighed, cocking her gun, "Ready to go?"

Chris grinned, "Let's go find your friend and get the fuck out of here."

\----------

When he first applied to the precinct, Leon had been pulled aside by his supervisor at the academy and he couldn't forget the look on the woman's face as she asked him if he was sure he wanted to go into this profession and even to work under- and there was no mistaking the venom in her voice- Chief Brian Irons. 

Leon could confidently say that yes, he wanted this. He wanted to be a cop and he wanted to help people in any way he could. Sure, his fellow officers at the academy tended to tease him for his "model like baby-face" and was called "jailbait" once or twice, but Leon knew that when it came down to it, none of that mattered because all anyone would care about in the end was if he did his job. 

He also remembered looking his supervisor in the face and saying with a smile that he could take whatever Chief Irons threw at him. That he would judge the man for himself and throw himself one hundred percent into his work. 

As he worked a combat knife against the bars of the cage, Leon was severely regretting his choice. He didn't sign up to be locked up like an animal. He didn't sign up for the goddamn zombie apocalypse and he sure as hell didn't sign up to be ogled by a guy who was old enough to be his dad during said goddamned zombie apocalypse. 

Leon could only hope Claire was safe, as he banged the knife against the bars in frustration. The ding rang through the kennel, into the open air of the parking garage that was just so close. He could hear the dogs still and Leon shrank back at the memory- one of them had gotten to close for his liking, snappping rotted teeth and snarling at him from outside the cage.

He made sure not to stick his hands out between the bars in case one of them tried to bite him. Leon's voice was hoarse from yelling after Irons to let him out, but the man simply kept teasing him, hinting at some "greater purpose" while the Tyrant simply loomed behind him, almost like a bodyguard. 

"C'mon, think..." Leon muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the blue and red police lights flashing on top of a cop car across the way. 

Leon stopped using the knife, his wrist aching as much as his shoulder; if the lock wasn't a padlock, Leon would have been able to reach through and undo it himself, but he found it to be cold hard steel, reinforced with nails to keep the damn thing closed. Reaching from behind with the knife to prod the keyhole would likely break the weapon, and with the cramped space he definitely couldn't risk using his gun to shoot it off.

"Fuck!" Leon yelped, jumping as one of the dogs suddenly banged into the cage, growling and barking like mad. Saliva and foam ringed its mouth, and Leon pressed himself backwards to avoid the flecks of red coming off its teeth.

Leon didn't know how zombie dogs worked exactly and as he watched this one try to get to him, he didn't want to know. Thankfully, after what seemed like an eternity, the dog backed off, trotting away to find another poor soul to bite into.

"Okay...,"  Leon whined, his voice trembling as he watched it jump around and howl at it's fellow zombies, "Okay, Leon, you're okay...."

As he tried ignoring the hammering in his chest or the pounding in his head, he almost misses what sounded like footsteps. Squeezing his eyes shut he strained to listen, barely making out what had to be the pop of a gun and the thud of a body hitting the floor.

Oh. Oh, thank god, someone else was here. Leon felt himself shaking as he listened- the feet were sure and strong as they slapped against the concrete, followed by a second pair that was lighter but followed suit. Squeaks of sneakers and thr smell of gunpowder made Leon raise his head to see-

"Claire!" Leon shouted, ignoring the scratch in the back of his throat, "Claire, help me!"

"Leon?!" came his friend's panicked voice, "Leon is that you?"

Leon nodded vigorously, his shoulder aching with the movement, "I'm in the kennels, I'm stuck!"

He couldn't make out what was being said as Claire lowered her voice along with letting loose a few bullets, but Leon didn't care, beaming as he spotted his friend racing through the packs of feral dogs and across the parking garage. The lights on the cop car bathed her in an unearthly glow, casting eerie shadows along the wall as she ran. Leon could see Claire's face light up as they locked eyes, not even looking away as she yelled behind her, "Chris! Chris, I found him! Hurry up!"

Soon she was kneeling in front of the cage, elegant fingers fiddling with the padlock, and Leon's face was starting to hurt from amiling so hard.

"Oh my god, Leon," Claire was breathless, "I was so worried you died- what happened? How-"

Leon opened his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by a man's voice, low and warm as they shouted, "Claire? Claire- there you are, we have to stick together-"

"Chris do you have a key for this?" Claire gestured to the padlock, "We have to get him out."

The man- Chris, Leon's brain supplied helpfully- was soon kneeling next to Claire, concentration etched into his brow as he turned over the lock. Leon felt himself blush, eyeing the bulge of Chris' muscles as he reached into a pouch on his belt, the soft brown of his his hair that complimented warm eyes quite nicely-

"We'll get you out in a jiffy, Leon, I promise," Claire's worried voice broke through his thoughts and Leon swallowed, nodding in reassurance.

"I'm sorry," Leon found himself saying, "I didn't mean to get stuck-"

"It's okay, Leon, it's okay," Claire assured him with a soothing tone, "Right, Chris?"

Chris nodded, "Claire told me about Mr. X. He catch you? Put you in here?"

Leon nodded, licking his lips, "The Tyrant is coming back for me, if you can't get the lock open you have to leave!"

"Coming back for you?" Claire asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's... it's under his control, the Chief," Leon explained with ragged breath, "He said he had something in mind for me, but the Tyrant does what he says, you have to go-"

"Listen up, rookie!" Chris snapped, movig to grip the bars of the cage, "You've been helping my sister. You've been keeping her alive when you didn't have to."

Leon shook his head, starting to feel his hair stick to his forehead with sweat- when did the temperature start rising? Why wouldn't they listen?

"You don't understand-" Leon pleaded desperately, chest heaving as he felt himself starting to panic.

"I understand plenty," Chris cut him off harshly, "You're a good person, Leon. Anyone who helps my family deserves a chance and we aren't gonna leave you behind to that thing. Got it?"

Leon didn't answer. How could he? Sure, he considered Claire a friend but she was thd civilian; it was his job to make sure she was safe, not the other way around. Claire gave him what she probably thought was a hopeful smile but ended up looking more like a grimace as she watched her brother play with the lock some more. 

"I said do you understand, Leon?" Chris tried again, his voice unwavering, determined, "No man gets left behind. Not today."

Pursing his lips, Leon returned Chris's heated gaze and nodded firmly. Carefully, he slid the blade of his knife to the bars, careful not to poke Chris with the edge as he handed it to him.

"Okay," Leon confirmed, "try this. Use it to pick the lock, it might work."

Chris immediately set to work, and Leon grit his teeth as he listened to metal grinding against the rust. 

"Do you have any idea why Chief Irons would keep you here?" Claire piped up after a moment, Chris focused intently on the knife digging into the keyhole.

Leon shook his head, "I dunno, but I don't want to find out. He was acting strangely, but I don't have much to go on since I never actually met the guy until today."

"Strangely doesn't even cover it, kid," Chris chimed in, "It's a wonder he's still Chief of Police after all the shit he's pulled, trust me."

"He definitely won't be Chief of Polife after this fiasco," Claire guffawed.

"Less talking, more lock-picking," Chris dead-panned, "You have a bobby-pin or something?"

Claire shook her head, "I didn't think I'd be getting my friends out of dog cages so no, I didn't bring one."

Leon couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him as Chris rolled his eyes, adding, "Hardy-har, Claire. A nail file, then?"

"I get my nails done at the salon," she said, "never at home."

"Hey, we get out of this and I'll take you to a new salon to get your nails fixed but now is not the time."

"You asked!" Claire hissed, "You think I carry extras for the zombie apocalypse?!"

Chris shrugged, "I dunno! Girls usually have a shit ton of everything in their purse! It's handy!"

"Does it look like I'm carrying a purse?!"

"Okay, okay, geez!" Chris moaned, "I guess... I guess we'll have to shoot the lock off."

Leon shook his head, "What if that attracts more of the dogs?"

"I have a gun too," Claire said, "One of us can fend them off while the other deals with the lock."

Leon wanted to protest- Claire shouldn't be worrying about this, about him. She came to Raccoon City to find her brother and she succeeded. The two of them should be high tailing it to the nearest vehicle and racing out of town, driving to safety, they-

"I see the gears turning in your head, Leon," Claire gave him a defiant look, looking down her nose at him. "Don't even think of trying to get me to leave you behind."

"You're a civilian," Leon was adamant, "I shoukd be protecting you, that's my job."

"And you're doing a better job than anyone woukd expect in the given situation," Chris caught his attention, "So let us protect you right now. Move back as far as you can and shield your face with your arm, okay?"

Leon was mindful of his shoulder, burying his face in his arm as he heard Chris stand up, following by the bang of a gun. He heard the padlock clatter to the cement and the cage door creaking as it was pulled open. Pins and needles rushed into his limbs as he felt Claire reach in and gently pull him out and up, sweeping him into a hug that was so tight Leon was sure he would pass out. 

He could feel Claire's fingers clawing at his uniform as she buried her face into his shoulder, and Leon locked eyes with Chris: he was watching with a proud gleam in his eye and Leon didn't bother trying to hide his tears as he reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. 

"We- we should go," Leon said between gasps, unable to stop himself from shaking as Claire finally let go of him, "I don't know when he's coming back and I don't want you in any more danger, I-"

"We can discuss it later, let's focus on getting out," Chris was cool and collected as he cocked his gun, "Ready to move?"

Leon nodded, wiping his face, "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright. Let's move."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this is sooooo late I am so sorry- also happy pride!!

Making their way through the morgue, Chris was surprised at how nonplussed Leon and Claire were in the situation. As a S.T.A.R.S. member, he was trained to deal with secrets like this- zombies and other things the government didn't want getting out, but watching how Leon and Claire worked was mesmerizing, if that was even the correct term. Each time one of them was working on a lock or digging through junk for supplies, the other kept watch. They seemed to be of one mind, shooting over one another's shoulders if they had to, fixing each other's wounds almost expertly.

"Are you sure that's sanitary?" Chris asked as they made it into what his sister and Leon called a "safe room"- an area that the Tyrant ("His name is Mr. X, Chris get with it!") tended to avoid if he could. A typewriter sat on the desk, the keys loud as Claire started tapping away.

Leon, however, had grabbed a green fern that was sitting in a pot in the corner and plucked the leaves off, shoving a few haphazardly into his mouth. 

"There's no food in the precinct and the medicinal properties take care of any smaller cuts or bruises," Leon explained around a mouthful of weeds, throat bobbing as he struggled to swallow it down.

"Right...." Chris trailed, frowning as Leon leaned over in his chair, panting for breath as Claire finished typing with a flourish. 

"Done!" she announced, "What's the plan now?"

Chris raised an eyebrow, "We get out?"

Claire looked at him like he was stupid, "What? No, I mean about Irons. He has something planned for Leon, we gotta figure out what it is."

Chris grimaced at the thought; as soon as Leon had said that, he pushed it from his mind, considering the zombie dogs surrounding them in the garage a few minutes ago. But he stood by what he said: Brian Irons was a nasty man, someone that should never have been given a position of power in the first place.

He remembered his and Jill's first day in S.T.A.R.S., how Irons would come visit even though he wasn't even involved, and at first he was nice, with some small talk here and there, but as the weeks went on, Jill would hide in hers or Chris's office whenever Irons showed up, and if she was forced to interact with him, she always asked Chris or Hunk to be nearby just in case something went wrong.

Jill had been a bright girl, smart and talkative, but as soon as Irons came into the picture, she shut down. Sulked, sometimes cried if she allowed herself to.

"I think I know what he wants," Chris heaved a sigh, averting his gaze to look at the battered lockers pushed against the wall of the room, "With Leon."

Claire placed her hands on the table, leaning forward, "What is it?"

"Do you remember Jill?" Chris asked.

"Valentine? She's cool, yeah. Why?"

An uneasy feeling settled in his gut, but Chris ignored it, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.

"In our first days on the squad, Irons came to visit, just to welcome us since our team worked alongside the RCPD," Chris said. Leon perked up,  frowning as he wiped away stray bits of grass from his mouth. 

"S.T.A.R.S, right?" he asked.

Chris nodded, "Well, Irons took an interest in Jill- she's beautiful, smart, anyone would. But it got to the point one of us had to be with her when Irons was there should something happen."

Leon shook his head, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand."

Chris didn't look at him, instead focusing on Claire as he continued, "Irons is interested in blondes. Mostly women, but it seems he's making an exception this time around."

For a few minutes, there was complete silence, and then Claire was almost feral, growling about chauvinist pigs and how men were disgusting and this is the fucking zomvie apocalypse and he's trying to get a good lay? Really?

"Listen, Claire-" Leon hesitantly tried to placate her, but Chris could see the glimmer of fear in his eye. He obviously hadn't expected such a thing, and Chris couldn't blame him. As a cop, Leon probably handled a few harassment cases, right?

"Is he really going to go after Leon when hsis first day of work is already complete shit?" Claire demanded, banging her fist on the table. 

Right. Chris forgot about that. While unorthodox, Leon was holding up better thn most people on their first day.

Way better, if the guy hadn't pissed his pants yet. 

"I wouldn't put it past him, Claire, besides, he already locked him in a fucking cage," Chris pointed out. 

"Okay, well, Irons still has to be in the precinct," Leon chimed in, "I saw him first in the waiting area, it was where he grabbed me first."

Chris didn't expect Leon's voice to be so calm, but he gestured for him to continue anyway.

"Why don't we go through the cells to get to the secret passage?" Leon offered, "No one should be down there, and whatever zombies are there will be stuck behind bars."

"And if we go through there, we can avoid Irons entirely, assuming he's camped out somewhere in the library or the main hall!" Claire exclaimed, "That's genius!"

Chris sat suddenly useless as Claire and Leon whipped oit their notebooks, flipping through pages and comparing maps. The medallions were drawn on a few of the pages, some of them spattered with blood. A few were ripped, and others were faded almost entirely, Chris having to squint just to make out the beginnings of the letter T. 

But they were here longer, Chris reasoned. Leon was a cop and Claire was a big girl. They knew how to take care of themselves and hopefully, Irons and that giant gray asshole didn't find them on their way out.

Hopefully. 


End file.
